I’m a lawyer, and a blogger. So, having seen a blurb somewhere about the ABA Journal Blawg Directory, I thought I’d see if there was a category into which RockClimberGirl.com may fit.
Work/life balance… maybe. My efforts to balance work and life are a recurring theme around here. But, perhaps there’s a better fit. Women in the law… not quite. And then, bingo!
I dutifully filled out the form to submit my blog to the list. Imagine my surprise when, just a few hours later, I received a very polite email from the Web Producer for the ABA Journal, thanking me for submitting my blog but rejecting my submission… because:
“it does not have enough law-related content to fit into our directory.”
Interesting, and perhaps a sad commentary on life as a lawyer, that a category devoted to personal lives requires law-related content in order to “fit” into ABA Journal’s directory.
Never fear, those of you who cringe at the thought of law-related content… this blog will stay as it is, devoid of all but the most rare mention of my lawyerdom. I just know — among my readers are more than a few rock climbing lawyers. I thought y’all would get a kick out of the ABA Journal’s response to RockClimberGirl.com.
Also, if you happen along this post because you’ve been rejected by the ABA Journal on the basis that your blawg doesn’t have enough law-related content, drop me an email and I’ll add you to a blogroll on this site. Cheers to the anti-blawgs!
We got home at about 2:30am from our latest long weekend, and I’m a little groggy but wanted to get the trip report up before I get back to real life. We had the pleasures of taking Friday off, allowing a Thursday night departure, and sharing my VW Jetta wagon (read, a very small stationwagon) with Kelly, Shawn, and Amy “Ropegun”. Erin “Beta Bird” was on the road ahead of us along with most of our climbing gear so that we could actually sit five in the wagon, and Alex, Katie and Vic came down on Friday night. Sorry — too tired to come up with new nicknames for the oldtimers.
Mark and Amber came down too, but we were on different schedules/route plans, so didn’t actually get to climb with them which was a bit of a bummer. And, Jason, Rhi and Rhi’s daughter and a friend were out too, but were also doing their own thing most of the time.
I thought I’d take the time to do this all in one (report and pictures) with an emphasis on the facts as I remember them… commentary and feelings will follow in later posts once I get some sleep.
Here’s the link to the full photo album. Holy crap, I climb with beautiful women…
Chris got some good shots too, so I am pleased to have a few more pictures of me climbing. Sorry to the men this time around… we were split off from the strongmen much of the weekend, so could see them from afar but without a telphoto lens they just looked like little ants on big rocks. Chris and the rest of the boys got short shrift too; I did get some good shots of Chris leading Five Gallon Buckets on Morning Glory Wall, and the guys were off doing other things. Katie, Vic and Rhi fall into the beautiful girls category for sure, but I missed opportunities to get Katie climbing, and missed my chance for portraits of Rhi and Vic. I I’ll try to do better at spreading the photographic love around the next trip…
Thursday, April 10
The trip down was cozy, but pretty smooth. We rolled in to the park about midnight (I think) and crashed out at the bivouac area at the park in the area that’s come to be one of my favorite places to wake up — looking out over the rim toward the Crooked River valley, with a view of the whole front side of the climbing area and the Smith Rock formation.
Friday, April 11
After some shut eye, we got up and headed down for an unusually quiet Friday of climbing. The party split up… Shawn and Kelly started out on Zebra/Zion, a stunning three-pitch 5.10- on Morning Glory Wall, Zion area. As jealous as I was, my goal for this weekend was to lead, so Zebra/Zion will remain on my tick list. Amy, Chris, Erin and I started out on a remarkably quiet Morning Glory wall. I lead Five Gallon Buckets (5. 
and Amy lead the Outsiders (5.9), both really fun romps up huecos galore… we had the luxury of playing on the routes for some time, without other folks lining up behind us.
Now, if that photo doesn’t make you want to subscribe to my blog, male or female, there’s just something wrong with you.
I anchored in at the top of Outsiders to take some shots of Erin and Chris on lead on Five Gallon. My route plan for the weekend included a long list of 5.7s and 5.8s, so I was pretty excited that our crew were stronger leaders than I’d anticipated, right out of the gate.
From there, we headed down to the Peanut and Combination Blocks areas. Amy did a fantastic (gutsy) ropegun on Pop Goes the Nubbin (5.10a) at the Peanut, a route I have always wanted to try but I don’t think we’d done before. The route was SUPER fun, and her lead was impressive.
I put the rope up on Snuffy Smith (also SUPER fun, at 5.9) and we had a great time taking turn on topropes on the routes. This shot (below) is of me on Snuffy Smith. Apparently that’s my angle… I am so pleased that I (for once) don’t look like a sausage, and if you zoom in close, you can even see my climbergirl back. Woot woot!
The middle of the day is rather fuzzy — from the heat, lack of enough water and food, and the exertion, I wound up with a migraine, but most of us were ready for a siesta in the shade anyway so it worked out okay. Shawn climbed something with Amy that sounded cool (I don’t remember what) while the rest of us snoozed under a rock and caught up on snacks and water and waited for my Imitrex to kick in.
We met up with Shawn and Amy after the siesta; then Shawn lead one of my favorite projects, Double Trouble (10b) at Combination Blocks, and I think I toproped it clean so now I have to add it to my someday-will-lead list; this pic is me on the big lean out to the top block off the happy ledge. It was super fantastic. Shawn then lead Toy Blocks (10a) with the full traverse to the Hesitation Blues anchor and I got to follow and clean the gear on that. I’d say that particular climb played to Shawn “Forearms” Campbell’s strengths; it was incredibly fun, and strenuous.
I didn’t think I was going to be able to hold on by the end of the traverse… talk about pumpy. Kari was on Dancer (5.7, Combination Blocks) (well lead!) and I think some of the party did Dancer or Jete to round out the evening but I was absorbed in Double Trouble and Toy Blocks so missed the crew’s other accomplishments.
Next up was a trip to Churning in the Wake, 5.13a, Churning Buttress on Morning Glory Wall for a few burns for Kelly. He’s making progress, and picked up some additional beta. He worked the climb on Friday and Sunday, both times at the end of the day. I’m thinking he’s close, especially if he gets in a good warm up and picks the right time of day for the attempt. We also ran into friends Mo and Bree who are smart enough to live where Smith is their “local crag.”
The pulling by hardmen gave me a chance to start on my impromptu beautiful climber girl portraiture project… first victim, Kari, who was very patient until she could take no more shutter clicking.
I took a bunch of shots all in a row, with different Kari-expressions and smiles… when I look through them I can’t help smiling to myself. Kari, my dear, you have a fantastic smile! I miss you terribly, and am so glad that at the very least we get some weekends together.
Dinner was a trip to Terrebonne Depot. Sure, their prices aren’t exactly dirtbag-climber, but once in awhile a nice dinner after a full day of climbing can’t be beat. We had a great dinner, good beer (apparently my beer of choice is a good Porter — the Monkey Face Porter by Cascade Lakes Brewing Company hit the spot), and returned to camp re-hydrated, exhausted and happy.
Saturday, April 12
After a good night’s sleep, Shawn, Kelly, Alex, Katie and Vic headed to the Lower Gorge where they eventually ran into Jason, Rhi and the kids. Erin, Amy, Chris, Kari and I had more moderate goals for the day, so we headed to Northern Point for some gear leading practice. When we rolled into the crag there was a friendly group of local guys there, who asked Chris how the heck he ended up with such a hot harem of climber girls. Chris was modest, as usual. When I started racking up a trad rack for my first gear lead of the day, the guys just about passed out over Chris’s good fortune.
I did my first 5.7 gear lead (I think) on Jersey Shore, which was SUPER fun and a great confidence builder. Erin lead it also, and I think Kari, Chris and Amy all toproped it — some of them a few times, since Amy was practicing placing gear on TR and Chris climbed to give feedback on placements. I think Erin did the first lead on Lean Cuisine, a 5.6 gear route with a cruxy roof; her gear placements were solid, and she did a great job. I lead it next and was shocked at how hard that “5.6 roof” was to figure out how to pull around; I placed two relatively good pieces under the roof (a red Camalot and a similarly sized Rock Empire) (although I did sling them too long; still really trying to learn how to sling pro properly) and I had some good pro below, but having never weighted my own pro off the ground I was still pretty sketched at making a committing move over the little roof to bad feet. I did the typical Sara thing and climbed up to the move and then downclimbed when I got sketched about five times, burning up just about all of my energy. On attempt number I’ve-lost-count, I wasn’t sure I could make the move and almost took a fall on my gear but was able to downclimb partway so that I could gently take on my gear. Chris did a perfect job on belay, and I actually weighted my gear and it held. I had him lower me to good feet (but not all the way down) and I had a little meltdown but recovered quickly … I was safe for the moment, I knew I could do the move (I’d done it on TR the last time we visited Northern Point) and I’d just weighted my gear and it held, so I had a little talk with myself and then got back on the route, pulled over the roof, and finished the route. It was the first time I’ve ever been able to pull myself together from one of those fear-induced meltdowns and actually finish the lead, so even though it wasn’t attractive to bystanders, I felt like the whole thing was a huge accomplishment.
I moved the rope over to Thumper, a 5.8 that had caught my eye immediately when we got to the Point, for topropes by everybody. It was unanimously a fantastic little climb — we all had great fun on it. It definitely played to my strengths; I actually felt like I could have lead it even on gear, so will go back to it for sure. It’s got everything I love… jammy liebacky goodness.
After that, we were going to go out to Student Wall but decided to meet the rest of our party at Lower Gorge instead. The Lower Gorge approach was a bit of a scramble, but well worth it — the climbing area was right on the river, felt secluded despite the company of some other parties, and the climbing was awe-inspiring.
I got in a few more climber girl portraits, of Katie (above) and Amy (to the left).
While I was wandering a route caught my eye… it was jaw-droppingly inspiring. I just looked up, and there it was, in all of its inspiring glory, and I fell instantly in love-at-first-sight with it. The route turned out to be Cornercopia, 5.10b, a route that Shawn had told me about the day before, with a bouldery first few moves to a bolt, followed by stems and jams way up on fantastic Basalt. Sometimes the universe smiles on a climber girl… Jason started racking up and I watched him expectantly… Cornercopia was his destination (YES!). So, I got to clean it for him and it lived up to my expectations and then some. I popped off the start once or twice, but then figured out a sequence that would work for me and from there had a great climb. I did have to take a couple of times to clean gear (should have just unclipped and climbed on lower, but didn’t think of that until just now). Amy and Erin both did a great job on it, too. I’ll be back, for sure.
Shawn lead Pure Palm, a four-star 11a just to the right (Shawn - do I have this right?), which is an unlikely sequence of palming moves and presses … I didn’t see an actual hold on the entire route. The lead was impressive to watch, but difficult to photograph without getting the ever-frequent Shawn’s-butt view. At least this trip Shawn’s butt earned its own nickname, so I guess it’s only fair that it make an appearance in each photo album.
After the scramble out (which wasn’t as bad as the scramble in) we met Jason and Rhi at their camp at Skulls Hollow/the Grasslands and ate dinner and visited until Amy was zonked and almost fell asleep in the car waiting for us to wrap up the visiting.
Sunday, April 13
After a not-so-great night’s sleep, Amy and I were up early and had a nice breakfast sitting out on the rim by camp. The day’s destination was the West Side area, to escape the crowds and the sun. Katie and Alex did Zebra/Zion and then walked off down to Mesa Verde. Shawn, Kelly, Vic and Erin went through Asterik Pass, then sampled the Mesa Verde wall among a surprisingly large number of other climbers. Amy, Chris and I wanted to start out a bit more slowly, so we did the walk around the Smith Rock formation to the back side and started out morning at Spiderman Buttress. There was another party on Spiderman, the three-pitch 5.7 trad route that gives the Buttress its name. I had hoped to do that route, but after Saturday’s 5.6 roof experience I was a little nervous to try a 5.7 roof on gear, and Amy was happy staying lower to the ground so we kept things to single pitches.
Amy and I took turns leading the 5.7 bolted slab up to the anchors on the first pitch of Spiderman. Chris photographed, and Amy and I both had fun on the route.
Chris cleaned, while I scouted out other options. Our last trip up, I had checked out In Harm’s Way (5.7) and Out of Harm’s Way) but they are mixed routes — gear is required for the first half or so up a 5.7 flake to a ledge, then a ramp to another ledge. The 5.7 (In Harm’s Way) goes up from the second ledge on a sequency, traversy, knobby face route up four bolts to the top. The 5.8 (Out of Harm’s Way) goes up from the first ledge on a slightly steeper knobby face route past some bolts (didn’t count how many). I ruled the route out on our last visit because I had only lead up to about 5.6 on gear, and wasn’t sure about taking on that particular 5.7 flake yet.
This time, I took some time to read the route while Amy belayed Chris on the slab route, and did some analysis. The pro on the flake did not look ideal… there’s a lot of loose crap in the flake, and the rock quality is not great. From the ground I could see there would be some marginal-to-good nut placements behind the flake, and I judged the higher, lieback section of the flake as about a red Camalot size, where it looked like I may have to make a blind placement to protect the mantle move onto the top of the first ledge. The ramp up from there looked easy, and once on top of the second ledge I knew I’d have a bolt to clip. All in all, the route looked do-able, so I racked up, lined Chris up to belay, and set to work. Sure enough, the route was spicy right about where I thought it would be — and, I did have to make a blind red Camalot placement behind the flake, which I backed up with an additional Rock Empire cam once I could see into the crack. I ran it out a bit since the ramp was easy and I didn’t see good pro and was in a little bit of a hurry to get that first shiny metal bolt clipped. The first bolt was a few moves off the ledge, so I moved up and clipped a quickdraw and clipped in; then moved out right to traverse to the second bolt forgetting my plan to extend the first draw with a long sling to reduce rope drag. (My hands are sweating while I type). After clipping the second bolt with a quickdraw, the rope drag was so bad that pulling the rope took serious effort and the pull on me was noticeable. I figured, with two bolts clipped in I would be safe to take a fall, so forged on, pulling hard on the rope to make the clips and finished the knobby face to the top anchors feeling really accomplished. I was proud of reading the route, assessing my skill level, coming up with a plan, and then (mostly) sticking to it. I made some mistakes, but the risks were calculated, and the whole thing was a really good learning experience. Amy followed and did the 5.7 then followed it by lowering to the first ledge and climbing the 5.8 finish. Chris did the 5.7 and enjoyed it greatly, and then I did the 5.8 on TR to clean the anchor. We all had a lot of fun on the route.
Packed up, then met everybody else over at Mesa Verde Wall. Erin and Vic had been taking turns on lead on, I think, Sundown (5.9). Vic lead Cosmos (10a) and us girls had a blast on it, although I could feel I was getting REALLY tired and the top — which I don’t remember having a problem with the last time I did it — took me a few tries. Shawn and Kelly did moderate classics and hard stuff, along with a scramble by Shawn to free a stuck two-rope rappel setup after Tale of Two Sh*tties (10a) (I think - may have the route identification wrong).
The day was getting hot, and the sun had come around to the West side, so Chris, Erin, Amy and I all headed back around on the trail and met Kelly, Alex, Katie, Shawn and Victoria just as they got to the main trail after coming over Asterik Pass. It was late in the day, but Erin had her eye on a lead on Outsiders to round out the trip, and Kelly had a hankering for another Churn. So, we headed to Morning Glory wall for a last stop. Erin and Amy jockeyed with another party to get on Outsiders, and Kelly hit Churning again. Shawn, never one to sit around when he could be climbing, harnessed up for Nine Gallon Buckets, a 5.9 pitch with a bouldery crux start followed by a fun cruise up enormous huecos to the original anchors, followed by a 10c sequence of underclings, sidepulls and footwork, to a 5.8 honeycomb finish where the problem isn’t finding holds, the problem is choosing a hold from the gazillion options. I wanted to try the whole route, but wasn’t sure I could do the 10c section, so we had cleaners lined up. I did pop off the start once or twice (thank you for the spot, Mr. Campbell) but once on the route, the huecos were super fun. I hit the 10c crux and didn’t read the sequence well (plus, was pumped) so fell trying to get out to the left-hand sidepull. It took a try or two, but I figured out the sequence and then I think popped off just after the crux because of fatigue, and then finished up the route. Katie climbed it like a pro… she gave me footwork ideas for the crux, and everyone indulged me getting back on it (thanks, guys). My second try, I got a good rest before going into the crux, and pulled the crux but popped right after it (I think - can’t remember for sure, so correct me if that’s wrong!). I felt like I had one more burn in me, but in retrospect I didn’t (I’m exhausted) and the sun was starting to duck behind the rocks. Amy did a great job on the route on TR, and then Alex cleaned while us slow hikers got a start on the walk out to the car.
A quiet evening at Overboard was a perfect way to end another perfect weekend. A short way into the long drive home I realized I was the only one who didn’t have to get up for responsibilities in the morning (I’d scheduled a quiet day in my home office) so put in a long series of CDs I could sing to, to keep myself awake, and cruised toward home. Home safe a bit after 2am, slept until Kelly (who crashed at our place to be closer to work) got up at 6:30; then slept until Chris called from the office at 10am to see if I had court today.
So - it’s about time for a shower and a nap. Thanks, as always, to our beloved climbing friends for another treasured weekend. Here’s a repeat for the
link to the photo album for your viewing pleasure… until the next time!
So, the weather report at Smith is perfect. We’re headed out tonight after work (after a long, long, long day of work) with Amy, Shawn (Beautiful Girls) C. and Kelly (Killer) C…. Amy doesn’t have a nickname yet, but I’m sure she will after this trip. We’re all piling into the VW. Shawn was the hold out… he didn’t like the sounds of five people in a tiny car for a seven hour car ride, but as of this morning… and I quote…
“i flip flop more than a democratic presidential candidate.”
so he’s now in. Now we’re going to have a fistfight over who gets to second Zebra/Zion.
We’ve gotten the packing down to a science… an imperfect science, but we’re getting closer. The two of us plus gear used to fill the world’s smallest RV (bummer! When I moved my blog over, I lost that post… my VW Jetta wagon is nicknamed “the world’s smallest RV” because Chris and I sometimes camp out in the back). Now, after three-plus years of refining our packing and organization we’ve got the gear down to the small mountain above. With the two of us, we don’t even fill the roof box, now. And, there’s still plenty to trim — my personal definition of the bare minimum still includes two insulated sleeping pads, two sleeping bags, a tank top and clean underwear for each day of the trip and my percolator coffee pot, so I could definitely minimalize — but at least now we can fit us plus more climbers in our little VW.
I am pretty much bouncing off the walls. I just adore Smith Rock. I like the camping; I like being able to wash my hands to put in my contacts; I love the climbing; I’ve even grown to enjoy the hike (never thought I’d hear myself say that). We’re going with fantastic friends this trip… pretty much all of our climbing friends except for a few stubborn holdouts are coming down (and now, with Shawn in, there’s one fewer stubborn holdout). So, I’m off to offload some gear to one of the other cars; and then to try desperately to get through my day-job to-do list so that I can leave with a clear conscience. Have a great weekend, all, and I hope you get to play outside…
- Sweet orange aromatherapy
- St. John’s Wort
- Sam-E
- Weather reports like this:
Terrebonne, OR:
Friday: 72 and sunny
Saturday: 74 and sunny
Sunday: 72 and mostly sunny
The crew is gearing up for a trip to Smith this weekend (I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait)… the weather looks good, we’ve got a perfect group of friends to climb with, and three whole days of climbing thanks to taking Friday off. We happen to be there at the same time as the Alpinist Film Festival, so hopefully Friday everybody will be watching movies about climbing while we’re climbing. Tempting to go watch movies, but it’s been so long since I’ve been outside (weeks!) that all I can think about is getting to some real rock.
The last time we were at Smith, I had a great time leading … did a lot of easy leads (1) because it was fun; and (2) to try to build my confidence a bit. I got a little overly confident and got on a 10a (Irreverence, New Testament Slab, Christian Brothers Area) and scared myself silly. I was on lead placing draws with the first bolt stick clipped. I moved above the first bolt and almost reached the second, but got stuck about a foot shy of the second bolt. Several times, I climbed up to try to make a move and got stuck; then I’d downclimb to a rest and try to pull myself together and come up with a plan or a different approach. After several attempts, I returned to my high point and had nothing left. I was too afraid to make a move, and too afraid to fall. I did an inelegant, tiring, and sketchy downclimb as low as I could get before taking about a foot and a half fall onto my bolt, at which point I had a mini panic attack and decided to call it a day on that particular route.
Gear retrieval capable friends to the rescue!
What happened? I was so afraid of falling that I couldn’t even get myself to try a move that I probably could have done… I’ve been spending so much time outside on easy stuff on lead, and toproping hard stuff (outside of my lead ability) that I’m not putting many vertical feet in on stuff that’s at my lead level. I’d like to change that this weekend, and try to put in as much time as possible on 5.9s and 10as.
To get ready, I spent a day taking practice falls at the gym… it didn’t get easy but it was good practice. I’ve also been working a variety of routes on lead and toprope, at and near my maximum difficulty, so that on occasion I surprise myself with a fall (so far, only on toprope — I have only taken planned falls on lead… guess I should have done some practice unplanned falls on lead, but I’ll make that a note to self to do some more of after this trip). Breathing makes a huge difference for me when I’m afraid… I always emphasize breathing while climbing, but I’m placing special emphasis on using my breath to calm myself when I get sketched or scared. Perhaps getting some oxygen to my brain during those times of stress will help with my decisionmaking.
Being afraid of falling is a self-preservation instinct… with a fall, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I always fear the worst, and I have a hard time, even after taking some practice falls, trusting that the worst may not happen. My bolt or gear should hold. I should fall away from the wall and not scrape myself up too badly. My rope is good condition. My belayer is trustworthy and will do his or her best to keep us both safe. I know all of these things.
Above all that, making the move is worth it. Nine times out of ten (or more - maybe more like 19 times out of 20), if I just suck it up and make the move, I’ll make the move and not fall. And then I feel amazing, and strong, and fantastic, and like it’s the best day and the best route ever. Worst case scenario, I fall. Big deal. Either way, it’s better than working myself into a hyperventilating panic.
So, my goal for the weekend is to make the move. To trust myself, and take the risk. I’m going to breathe through my anxiety. When I reach the point where my brain says “I’m scared, ‘Take,’” or “I need to downclimb” I’m going to make a commitment to make the move instead. I’ll let you know how it turns out…
Other reading:
Majka Burhardt’s Liminal Line is another fine blog for climber girls and anyone who’s interested in reading about the climbing life (and, the part of climbing life that involves making a living).
Majka Burhardt is one talented lady. She is a Boulder, CO based writer, climber and guide and is coming soon to a location near you to speak about her experiences climbing in Ethiopia…
While I feel a certain kinship with all climbing women who choose to write about their experiences, Majka is in a class all her own. She is an incredibly talented writer (this praise coming from a very picky English major and professional copyeditor) and she can CLIMB.
Reading through the few pages of posts that are already online, I was amused by “Normal People.” I use that phrase routinely to describe non-climbers and/or non-lawyers, depending on the context and who I’m talking to. I also like that post because I can relate with Majka… I don’t constantly ask myself if I like or dislike climbing but I can relate with her lack of total and utter continuous happiness when going vertical. I spend a fair amount of my vertical time afraid (although I am getting better) and sometimes even miserable (although I am also getting better at avoiding those conditions).
The blog entries are relatively brief, but Majka’s observations on her climbing (and non-climbing) life are insightful and entertaining. I sometimes wonder why more climbing writers don’t blog… and then I remember why I don’t write “real” articles — I get all of my creativity and thinking out in my blog and then what’s left for a “real” article that would require… you know… work? Majka’s blog whets the reader’s appetite for a little more Majka without taking away from her other writing which is definitely worth paying for (whether in book or magazine form). The blog’s design is pleasing to look at and I’d imagine she’ll get quite a bit of attention for it as the blog gets more established.
Edit, 4/7/2008 - Majka does have an RSS feed online at: http://www.majkaburhardt.com/liminal-line-blog/rss.xml.
My sister and I visited the mothership — aka, REI — the other day to get her her first pair of climbing shoes and her first harness. We were efficient and no-nonsense… she and I measured her feet, talked quickly about the options, and then asked the nice lady in the green vest for Megan’s size in four or five different shoes.
I gave Megan my advice on how to choose rock climbing shoes based on what I’ve learned about my own feet in the last few years of climbing. I have very bendy joints, so even though my feet have gotten stronger, I still prefer a firmer midsole and a flat last. I like my shoes to fit snug but not tight; a slight bend in my toes is perfect, but I don’t wear climbing shoes that hurt. I do generally fit shoes snug enough that I pop them off between climbs but comfy enough that I can do multipitch or long routes without constantly thinking about my feet. Sizing your shoes too small can lead to horrible foot problems… look up “neuroma” if you need inspiration to fit our shoes properly. If you’re primarily climbing cracks, you may want a slightly larger, more rounded shoe that allows your toes to lay flat; but I tend toward all-around shoes that I can do anything (cracks, sport, bouldering) in.
Back to REI… Megan proceeded to strip her feet down to her tights (brilliant girl - I never thought to wear tights for trying on climbing shoes, but will remember that in the future) and tried on shoes. She narrowed it down to two choices pretty quickly… the Scarpa Techno Lady Rock Shoe and the Five Ten Gambit Rock Shoe, Womens. She got on the test wall with both, and could have gone with either for her first pair of shoes, but the Gambits were edged out by a slightly better fit with the Technos (and, frankly, I think she thought the Technos were cuter, which is her prerogative as a ClimberGirl). She made a fantastic choice, as far as I’m concerned, and I’m jealous of her new kicks.
While she was trying on shoes, a guy in a cotton t-shirt and jeans with regular tennies — not a stitch of technical fabric anywhere on him, which must signal “newbie” to the nice folks in green vests — wandered over to the shoe section. The fairly inattentive green-vest-lady popped over to ask him if he needed anything, and he asked for advice on choosing his first pair of climbing shoes. She quickly pointed him toward the Five Ten Coyotes and Mad Rock Phoenix. He glanced at the shoes for a second then wandered away. Had he stuck around, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid helping him shop — I’m one of those.
Now, Five Ten makes fantastic shoes. And, Mad Rock is the manufacturer of my all time favorite all-around climbing shoes. But, there is only one circumstance where I would recommend the Coyote or the Phoenix as a “beginner climbing shoe” and that’s when those happen to be the best possible fit for an individual climber. My first pair of climbing shoes were the Phoenix ladies version, since that’s what the green-vest steered me to when I first started climbing. I tried one size, which I couldn’t even get my foot into; the next size up I could get my feet into so figured they were a fit. Turns out, they weren’t — whether it’s the shape of the shoe, or the cut, the Phoenix I wound up with were woefully large. I climbed in them for a few short months, developed a bad case of foot pain from how much my feet moved around in them while climbing, and then started shopping for my second pair of shoes.
What did I learn? That if a certain size is too small, and the next size up is too big, then I’m trying on the wrong shoe.
If you’re shopping for your first pair of climbing shoes, shop for a good all-around shoe but emphasize finding a shoe that fits as well as possible. Look for phrases like “all around” in reviews, and try to avoid a shoe that’s too cambered or too soft. While you’re starting out, your feet have a lot of strengthening to do, and a relatively firm shoe helps your feet ease into the unusual new demands you’re placing on them. Synthetic uppers will mold to your feet a bit but will not stretch; leather uppers will stretch up to a half size if they are lined and up to a full size if unlined, so keep that in mind when deciding on fit. Climb around on the test wall if you can; check on return policies and see if you can return or exchange shoes if you aren’t happy with the fit after a real climb. When you finally decide on a pair that you like, examine them closely; I once bought a pair of shoes and only after getting them home noticed that one was nearly 1/2 size larger than the other (despite being marked the same size)… unfortunately, the larger shoe was for my smaller foot so back they went.
Perhaps REI makes a buck on beginners who trash their first pair of shoes in a few months and then come back for the better-faster-fancier second pair… and, I suppose, they’re very busy most of the time, so it’s easier to just tell someone the conventional wisdom on what the beginner shoes are on a given rack than to go into the finer points of foot shape, size preference, climbing style and experience level. Point well taken that newer climbers are hard on shoes, so there may be little harm in recommending a durable shoe. But, climbing shoes are expensive, and newbies place their trust in salespeople, for better or worse. Taking a couple of extra minutes to chat with a shopper and help them make a better choice should earn you a point on your climbing karma tally.
So, newer climbers… look for a shoe that fits your feet.
Less-new climbers… what’s your shoe advice for newbies? Share your thoughts in a comment!
Other links:
Here are some quick hits from the week…
- The Access Fund needs your help to protect climbing around Idaho’s highest peaks.
- Avon, UK climbers are also facing a closure.
- Katie Brown is back from spring break.
Finally, I met my fantastic and talented little sister Megan for some intro-to-climbing shopping… she picked out a fantastic pair of Scarpa Technos that fit like a glove and got a screaming deal on a Black Diamond Diva harness (it was about $20 off) at REI. I’m really jealous of the shoes — the design is really innovative. Instead of a tight, pinchy heel rand that cuts into your achilles tendon, these have a “heel lock system” that is adjusted by the lacing, to provide a snug fit with more comfort. They’re billed as a “trad shoe” but are several cuts above most of the “trad shoes” I’ve seen in terms of technical performance features. Megan is brand new to climbing, and right off the bat she showed tremendous natural potential… I’m stoked to get her outside as soon as possible so that she can try out her new gear and hopefully start ropegunning for big sis before too long.
I had a few minutes to kill before hitting REI with Meg and wandered over to the fantastic Feathered Friends in Seattle. A flyer caught my eye when I headed in the door — Majka Burhardt is coming to Seattle. On April 17th, Majka will give a presentation at the Pacific Science Center, billed as “Science with a Twist.”
Climbing, culture, canapes and cocktails! Science with a Twist is excited to bring you this very special evening in partnership with The Young Professionals International Network (YPIN) of the World Affairs Council. Explore the fascinating journey described in Vertical Ethiopia: Climbing Towards Possibility in the Horn of Africa, which tells the story of how four women traveled to northern Ethiopia to climb virgin sandstone towers in the Horn of Africa.
That’s from the Science with a Twist website. What is the Young Professionals International Network? Really good question, since I also hadn’t heard of it before. Google to the rescue… sounds cool!
On April 19th, Majka is attending the NOLS Alumni Reunion and Public Reception at the Patagonia Store in Seattle. The program will involve Majka’s images from her Ethiopia trip, and a pre-reunion wilderness medicine “Snapshot” at the Washington Mutual Center.
Majka is a climber, writer and guide based in Boulder, CO and she’s one of my climbing writer heroes. I haven’t yet picked up the Ethiopia book, but am looking forward to it. For more information about her upcoming Seattle (and Portland, and other) events, visit her website.
The weather has sucked rocks, so I’ve been spending most of my time working, in the gym and reading. I can only write so much about projecting routes in the gym, and seriously, you’d all unsubscribe if I started talking about work, so how about I devote a little time to what I’m reading at the moment.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Urban Climber magazine. The cat’s also out of the bag that now I’m helping them out on occasion with editing, which is pretty much one of the highlights of my work life. UC’s 2008 Gear Guide featured a part of my climbing wish list… and I gotta say, I have fantastic taste in gear. I’m still not 100% on their schedule so I’m only getting to help with pieces of the magazine at this point, but I look forward to becoming more involved with the mag.
As an aside — hey, Joe — how are these for the next “[fill in the blank] reads Urban Climber Magazine” ad? Keira reads Urban Climber… do you?
Sorry — I couldn’t pick just one, so here’s another.
Miss Keira Grace, by the way, did her first boulder problem this week on the red slab at the gym. Yay, Keira Grace! Her mom, Amy, is coming with us to Smith next week for her first Smith trip ever. Thanks, Keira, for letting us borrow your ropegun momma for a long weekend!
Back to UC… in addition to the Gear Guide, the Apr/May 08 issue had some really good nuggets. Nuggets like:
“I climb to learn. There is something great about knowing that you have a long way to go before you will fully understand something.”
“Much of today’s climbing culture is centered on youth, strength, and adventure. Climbing is all these things and more. The spiritual benefits, the long-term gains to quality of life that flow from clarity of mind, certainty of purpose, and unwavering discipline are not often featured in climbing media.”
That’s from Kevin Jorgeson, interview by Andy Mann. I’m impulsive by nature… I’m quick to assess my surroundings and then fast to make decisions about the next course of action. Climbing has in some ways encouraged those tendencies… I trust myself more now than I used to which makes it easier to act based on those quick decisions; I am getting better (slowly) at accurately assessing risks instead of operating based entirely on fear. But, it’s a nice context to think about the “long way to go” aspect of climbing. I’ve got a long way to go, and definitely need to do a better job of thinking about that “long way” when making my impulsive decisions.
I also just finished “Touch the Top of the World” by Erik Weihenmayer. I know, I know, I’m behind the times on this one… the book came out a few years ago. I don’t get a lot of free time for reading, though, so I have some catching up to do. While I am not a mountaineer — bad knees — and my climbing is restricted to rocks not summits, I adore mountaineering books and living vicariously through authors who have what it takes to climb real mountains. Erik Weihenmayer is a climber. His story is inspiring and captivating and spans the world with adventures involving classic climbing and mountaineering destinations that the rest of us only ever read about. My favorite part of the book is how well he captures the partnership aspect of climbing… I know that “normal people” (aka, non-climbers) have friends, but I just don’t know if climbing partnership has any analogy among “normal people friendships.” I giggled to myself during the parts of the book where the personalities of Erik’s climbing partners emerge and you get to know them like they were part of your own climbing circle. Positive pessimism… “It sure is cold, but at least it’s windy!” “The ground sure is hard, but at least there’s a hole in my sleeping bag!” Brilliant and hysterical. It made me think of the conversation that starts at some point during the early morning of each climbing day with my own climbing partners…
Question: “What do you feel like climbing today?”
Answer #1: “I don’t know, maybe something tall, or something short.”
Answer #2: “Maybe we could clip some bolts, or maybe place some gear.”
It’s not positive pessimism, but we’ll have to come up with a snappy name for our pre-climb repartee.
Anyway, like all climbing partnerships, it’s clear that Erik’s partners bring something to his efforts; and, he returns the favor by bring something to theirs.
I dog-eared a bunch of pages in the book, but I guess I’ll end on this nugget…
“There are moments in our lives when we can move forward in small increments, increasing the challenge bit by bit, but there are other times when security is merely an illusion, when we must summon our courage, gather up our past skill, and proceed by the power of sheer faith.”
This is yet another weekend of dashed hopes and pity party… the weather sucks. It has been … no kidding … snowing the last few days. I live in Western Washington. Snow! Nothing sticking around, just slush coming down, but it’s enough to thwart yet another weekend’s climbing plans. I was hoping to get out to Exit 32 (unlikely, I know)… with Vantage as a backup. Oh well. We did have a great day in the gym today, so there was some consolation. I decided on today to take practice lead falls, and emerged unscathed and thankful for climbing partners willing to risk bruises for my mental climbing training. The falls were funny… one and two weren’t that bad, although I do make quite a squeal on the way down. Three was by far the worst… I didn’t think I’d be able to let go. Four was fine, but even after four, I was still squealing on the way down. Chris’s comment was that at least he knows he’ll hear me if I’m falling.
In other news, the Central Kitsap Reporter covered the climbing gym asset sale in today’s paper. Most of the article was really good, although I take issue with the catchy lead:
Katie Perrone and her family began climbing at Vertical World six years ago.
Come the end of April, the Bremerton family will either have to give up rock climbing or find another indoor climbing gym.
If you make it past the first two sentences, you learn that come the end of April, the Bremerton family may have to find another climbing gym. There is a lot of room for optimism here… I’ve had a number of folks get in touch with me in the last two weeks about the potential for this gym. So, this particular piece of news doesn’t fall into the dashed hopes category.
In other news, everybody we know is off for spring break and outside somewhere. I guess there’s consolation in knowing that we’ll get to see pictures of other peoples’ trips after the fact. How sad. The upside is that I still have my fingers crossed for an outing next weekend, and then the following we’re headed to Smith for Girlcation 2008 (plus Chris). After that is, hopefully, Leavenworth. So, if the weather gods cooperate, I’ll get a chance to get caught up on outside in the next few weeks.
Revisiting the topic of REI Dividend season, we followed up today’s climbing day by a trip to the Mothership. After much debate and research, I picked the New England/Maxim Glider 10.2 Bi-Pattern dry rope as our second rope. I fell in love with the Sterling line during our last few trips with friends, but REI for some reason doesn’t carry Sterling. After researching all the options and deciding I didn’t want to mail order a rope sight-unseen, the New England looked like the best compromise. It’s a bit lighter than other 10.2s, and it has a nice feel/hand (at least, right out of the bag — haven’t yet climbed on it). It seems much thinner than our other 10.2, possibly due to New England’s “TPT Sheath design.” I don’t know yet how that will affect joining the rope with our old rope for two-rope rappels, but perhaps reading up on joining ropes will be my next little Mountaineering Bible reading project at bedtime.
Chris also made a good find… the Metolius Porta-Cord rope bag. After a few seasons of occasional climbs with a one-shoulder-strap rope bag as a summit pack, this will be a big treat. It’s basically a combo top-load duffel and rope bag, with a tarp attached, external pockets, and … two straps!
Since I’m apparently on the topic of gear, I may as well post my initial thoughts on the Evolv Hera climbing shoes that I recently received (thanks, UC). I was a bit nervous about them out of the box… they’re a size 8 womens, which is my typical shoe size; according to Evolv’s size chart they’re the right size; but they are quite a bit larger than my stand-by climbing shoes (Mad Rock Frenzy EZs mens size 5.5, Five Ten Anisazi womens size 8). I wasn’t sure they were going to work, because they are roomy compared to my usual snug-but-not-tight shoes. After three days in the gym in them, I have to say… I’m really impressed. They edge fantastically, they’re effective with toe-ins and heel hooks, and I don’t have to pry them off after every climb. I really haven’t thought about my feet or shoes while climbing in them, which is a good thing and is high praise. Yes, I climbed today with all the grace of a drunken clydesdale (thanks, Mr. Campbell, for my new climbing mantra) but that’s not the shoes’ fault. I’m going to keep putting them through their paces while my Frenzy Velcros are out for resoling and will post again with broken-in thoughts, but I’m actually glad to have these in my arsenal for the gym and for day three of a trip when my feet are swollen and I can’t stand the thought of smooshing them into my smaller shoes.
Enough about gear. Cheers to our friends headed to Denver and Indian Creek this week; cheers to our friends who are probably enjoying a chilly evening at Smith Rock as I type this right now; and cheers to the rest of you lucky enough to have a spring break to enjoy while the rest of us slave away at our day jobs so that we can hopefully make our quarterly tax payments on the 15th of April. See you out there once my bills are paid.
